Should Your Business Have an App?

Posted November 22, 2019 by Twin State

Apps are becoming increasingly important for businesses. They can be used to market and communicate, optimize processes, gather analytics, and gain a competitive advantage. The number of apps in the Apple store grew from 2.45 million in July 2018 to 3.06 million in July 2019. When is it time for your business to develop an app?

Reasons to have an app

The most compelling reasons for adding an app to your business strategy are sales growth and marketing.

Apps increase your reach to new customers and can engage existing clients in new ways. You can increase loyalty by allowing them to order dinner online or take advantage of a special offer only to app users. They have your app right there in front at the right time. Why would they look any farther?

Build your brand

Nearly three-quarters of consumers make decisions on how they are treated by a business. Your app can develop trust with your base by being an information source. Push notifications can reach your targets on a scheduled basis. You can share a newsletter link or conduct a survey. Keep the lines of communication open between you and your customers.

You can accept employment applications. Or if you do mostly B2B work, push out job bid notifications to vendors.

Because apps are typically permission-based, you can collect valuable analytics. You can learn more about your client base by studying the data related to your app. Are they in an age group you haven’t served in the past? A new region? This will help plot out business growth strategies.

Internal workflow Optimization

Apps aren’t just for public consumption. Businesses can create an in-house app to streamline an essential workflow to save time and money and reduce errors.

Say your sales staff transfers new orders via paper forms. Having an app can save them a trip to the office, missed key order details, and opportunities to upsell. For example: multiply the number of labor hours saved and reduced production costs due to fewer errors. This amount could recoup the cost of app development in no time.

Analytics Addicts

For those looking for data around target audiences or current customers, you can learn about acquisition metrics and how you acquired new users. Also possible are monetization metrics. How many sales were generated by whom and how? You can also watch retention rates or functionality engagement – who interacts with your app and for how long.

Which industries are ripe for an app?

E-commerce is always the first thought – online purchasing, couponing, price checking. Service industries can also benefit. Anyone who takes appointments, such as those in the beauty and fitness industries, medical offices, or hospitality outlets. Manufacturing is a perfect sector to dive into internal apps.

Creating a mobile app as an addition to your strategic plan to the next level. To help solidify its longevity, make certain it solves a specific business problem and is developed by a reputable software development company.